Extension Educator in Penn State Extension Food, Families, and Communities Unit

Penn State University; Lebanon (Lebanon County); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State University is seeking an Extension Educator in Lebanon County to deliver nutrition and health education programs statewide and in-person in Lebanon County. The role supervises part-time staff and volunteers, develops educational materials, and evaluates program success to improve community health outcomes.

The position emphasizes collaboration across disciplines, adapting content to diverse audiences, and building partnerships to secure funding and enhance outreach.

Qualifications

• Serv Safe Training Certification is required.
• Strong communication and teaching skills.
• Ability to work with diverse populations and teams.
• Willingness to travel and carry materials.

Responsibilities

• Deliver virtual programs statewide and in-person programs in Lebanon County.
• Supervise part-time staff and volunteers who teach nutrition and food preservation programs.
• Develop original educational content (online courses, videos, apps, publications).
• Collaborate across multiple disciplines and departments to address health, nutrition and food safety topics.
• Evaluate programs to measure success and improve health outcomes.

Skills

Communication skills

Teaching skills

Teamwork

Organizational skills

Verbal communication

Interpersonal skills

Supervision skills

Multitasking

Travel readiness

Job description

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

This position is funded for 1 year(s); continuation past 1 year(s) will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

POSITION SPECIFICS

The College of Agricultural Sciences seeks an Extension Educator trained in community nutrition/health education and/or food science to join our nationally recognized Penn State Extension Food, Families, and Communities Unit. The position will actively work with Extension program teams to identify important human health and food safety issues, develop educational events and materials to support the learning objectives and utilize evaluations to measure program success. The position will deliver virtual programs statewide and in-person programs in Lebanon County. The position will also supervise part-time staff and volunteers who teach nutrition and food preservation programs on behalf of Extension.

While we seek disciplinary expertise in family and consumer science, especially nutrition education, competitive candidates are expected to have a general understanding of nutrition, diet, and human health issues related to food, food safety, and community education. The successful candidate will need to develop and/or participate in collaborations across multiple disciplines, departments, colleges, and institutions. The individual must work effectively in a team and with diverse populations and audiences. Team members are expected to work closely with university faculty and staff to develop and conduct applied research relevant to the target audiences' needs.

All team members are expected to participate in developing a diverse external funding portfolio (e.g., grants, contracts, cost recovery, development) to support the team's programs.

The individual will be expected to develop original content to engage audiences through innovative educational methods such as online courses, videos, mobile apps, and electronic publications, in addition to traditional publications and in-person presentations.

The individual in the position is expected to provide educational programming to improve human health and well-being to reduce the incidence and risk of chronic diseases and foodborne illnesses. As a result of educational programs, measurable improvements in health conditions or other indicators, such as an increased number of people who make healthier food choices, save money on food purchases, improve food resource management practices, increase improvements in medical screenings, and decrease the number of people who are affected by foodborne illnesses and chronic diseases will be critical outcomes. Success in this educational program will allow Pennsylvanians to have an improved health status, enhanced life skills needed for self-sufficiency, better health, and lower health care and medical costs.

The individual will be located in Lebanon County (Office location: 2120 Cornwall Rd #1, Lebanon, PA 17042).

Required Qualifications

• Serv Safe Training Certification is required.


• Basic knowledge of and commitment to food and agriculture, and enjoy the challenge of working as a team member on a wide variety of educational efforts.


• Possess effective communication skills (verbal and written), teaching skills, interpersonal skills, the ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues and clientele, supervision skills, and work as an active team member.


• Very organized and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.


• Able to carry equipment, educational materials, and supplies, with or without accommodation, and have the ability to travel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preference will be given to candidates with degree(s) in nutrition science with registered dietitian credentials, food science, health education/promotion with a certified health education specialty, family and consumer sciences or related disciplines, and those with related teaching experience in education.


• Experience or the ability to apply cultural/ethnic principles into Extension will be helpful.


• The ability to communicate in Spanish is a plus.


• Teaching, curriculum development, evaluation, supervision of program assistants, grant management, report writing, leadership development, and proficiency in compute